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Muzaffarnagar riots case against 25 BJP leaders withdrawn
A special MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh has allowed the prosecution to withdraw a case against 25 BJP leaders and Hindu activists, including state minister Kapil Dev Agarwal, former Union minister Sanjeev…
The Story in Brief
A special MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh has allowed the prosecution to withdraw a case against 25 BJP leaders and Hindu activists, including state minister Kapil Dev Agarwal, former Union minister Sanjeev Balyan, and former minister Suresh Rana, in connection with a 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots-related case. The accused faced trial for allegedly violating prohibitory orders, obstructing public servants, and inciting communal tension through speeches at a mahapanchayat on July 31, 2013.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Devendra Kumar Faujdar allowed the withdrawal on the prosecution's application, which followed the Uttar Pradesh government's decision, said prosecution officer Rahul Singh. The 2013 riots and subsequent violence left over 60 people dead and displaced more than 40,000, according to official figures.
The Indian Opinion
The withdrawal is legally sound if the state believed the evidence was weak, but it feeds the old accusation that the Yogi government shields its own from riot-related cases. Missing from the public narrative: none of the 25 were accused of murder or direct violence. The real test is whether the trial of those charged with the riots themselves, ordinary citizens, proceeds with equal speed and scrutiny.
Sources (2): livemint.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
